Reading The Proverbs With Timothy And Kathy KellerSample

Learning

As we can be moral and still be unwise, so it is possible to be very knowledgeable and yet be foolish. A social scientist may know much about the empirical factors that lead to poverty. Yet in actually trying to help a poor family, she might make their lives far worse. So there’s knowledge without wisdom. But can you have wisdom without knowledge? No. You have to be knowledgeable about a subject before you can apply it with the discipline, discernment, and discretion of wisdom. So Proverbs calls those who would be wise to add to their learning. The Hebrew word leqah means extensive study.

To be wise we must understand human nature, how human relationships work, suffering and death, and the character of God himself. Wisdom is wedding thought and experience to become “competent with regard to the realities of life.” And among all other things we should study, true wisdom requires deep knowledge of the Scriptures. Even Jesus based his every move on the Bible, quoting Scripture to face and explain his death (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1). How can we be wise without being immersed in the Word of God?

How can you take steps to greatly increase your knowledge of the Bible? In what other areas of life should you be reading now? 

Prayer: Lord, I spend far too little time studying and meditating on your Word, and I have no excuse. We always make time for the things we value most. So I ask your forgiveness for not loving your Word and you as you have loved me. Teach me your truth. Amen.

Excerpt from God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs by Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller

Reprinted by arrangement with Viking Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2017 by Timothy and Kathy Keller